Rain gauge



May 6 19Z4- 1,492,711

- B. c. KADEL RAIN GAUGE 'Fild June .8. 1923 :s Sheets-Sheet 1 010m [Va 2 010m N011 Attorney May 6 1924.

B. C. KADEL RA I N GAUGE 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Inventor B. C. KADEL May 6 1924.

RA I N GAUGE Filed June a. 1923 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 fiz verzZor A i Zorney Patented May 6, 1924.

pairs srarss AZJll BENJAMIN C. KADEL, OF EAST FALLS CHURCH, VIRGINIA, DEDICATED, BY MESNE AS- SIGNMENTS, TO THE CITIZENS OF THE UNITED STATES.

RAIN GAUGE.

Application filed June 8, 1923.

Serial No. 644,282.

To all whom it may concern.

Be it known that I, BENJAMIN C. KADEL, a citizen of the United States of America, and an employee of the United States Department of Agriculture, residing at East Falls Church, county of Fairfax, State of Virginia, have invented a new and useful Rain Gauge, of which the following is a specification.

This application is made under the act of March 3, 1883, chapter 143 (22 Stat. 625) and the invention herein described and claimed may be used by the Government of the United States or any of its ofiicers or employees in the prosecution of work for the Government, or by any person in the United States, without payment to me of any royalty thereon.

The purpose of the device is to produce in a simple and relatively inexpensive manner and without the use of graphically recording mechanism a diversion or separation of rainfall into one or more retaining vessels so that the amount of water subsequently found in each vessel shall represent the amount of rain that fell during a known period of time.

The operation of the device will be more easily understood by reference to the accompanying drawing which is in five figures. Fig. 1 is a plan view showing the horizontal arrangement of clocks and retaining vessels, Fig. 2 is a side elevation of one of the clocks, the conductor or gauge, and means for controlling the escape; Fig. 3 represents a front elevation of the invention; Fig. 4: is the winding stem of the alarm clock with pin attachment; Fig. 5 shows the support and shaft for the funnel. On a platform, which is divided into two parts separated by an upright partition, are placed three retaining vessels, Nos. 1, 2 and 3, whose function is to hold the rain until a convenient time for quantitatively determining the amount in each. Retaining vessels Nos. 1 and 3 may be omitted when the rainfall during only one period is to be determined. On the opposite side of the partition are placed two alarm clocks, whose time keeping and signaling qualities are determined by the degree of precision required by the circumstances. Where circumstances warrant the necessary expense one clock may be adapted to give'more than one signal. In the present device two ordinary alarm clocks are used because they are inexpensive and easily obtainable in the market. The clock must be of such pattern that the alarm winding stem shall rotate when the alarm goes off.

The winding stem of the alarm clock, shown enlarged at H, is fitted with a pin attached about one-half inch ofi center, so that when the alarm goes off the pin will describe a circular motion within the enclosed space indicated at the clockward end of the lever L, which is pivoted on an axis passing through the partition so that when the pin on the winding stem H rotates, the lever L oscillates up and down between the positions indicated as L and L at the end beyond the clock.

The large funnel G (support not shown) is the firmly supported collector of the rain gauge in customary use. The water that falls into the funnel C in the form of rain runs down through the narrow spout and flows into a second funnel f, which by means of inverted hooks is conveniently hinged in the two grooves 9, formed in the support S. The funnel f is thus held in its proper position longitudinally by the grooves 9, but at the same time is free to rotate across the retaining vessels so that it may take the position P P and P indicated in Fig. 3.

The funnel f is also fitted with a counterweight W, whose purpose is to bring it into the position P against the stop M under the force of gravity without the use of springs.

Operation.-The alarm attachment is to be not quite entirely wound up, so that when winding ceases the pin that'projects from the winding stem is at the lower side. Then when alarm clock No. 1- goes off, the lever L moves to the position L releasing the funnel f, which under gravity drops to position P over retainer No. 2.

In a like manner clock No. 2 releases the funnel so that it may advance to position P over retaining vessel No. 3. The rainfall is thus distributed into the three retaining vessels, that contained in No. 2 being the amount that fell between the two impulses of the clock or clocks, and the quantity in Nos. 1 and 3 representing respectively the amounts that fell before and after the period between the impulses.

I claim:

A rain gauge, comprising a movable funnel for collecting rain water, a counterweight on said funnel, a pivotal support for said funnel, a stationary funnel superimposed thereupon, an alarm clock having a winding alarm stem, a pin eccentrically mounted on said stem, a lever extending between said pin and said funnel and provided with two arms, one engaging said pin and the other being normally in the path of the movable funnel stem and being adapted to be disengaged with said movable funnel stem by movement of the winding alarm stem whereby the movable funnel stem is moved in a vertical plane by said counter weight and said movable funnel stem is advanced to position over a retaining vessel for the collection of rain water falling into said funnels.

May 28, 1923.

' BENJAMIN G. KADEL. 

